It appears as if Spike Jones <spike66@ibm.net> wrote:
|With kids, it is much more difficult to
|explain why they need to wash before meals than to just issue
|the command, then shriek "Because IM the MOM, THATS why
|now DO IT!"
Harvey Newstrom <newstrom@newstaffinc.com> might have commented:
|
|Hmmm... I'm now wondering if etiquette and polite society memes are
|similar to the God meme. It's too complicated to explain why we have to
|do these things. It's much simpler to teach "this is proper" and "that
|is improper." I think like religion, most complicated etiquette rules
|evolved from some real function, which purpose has become forgotten over
|time. The "Miss Manners" meme!
You can always tell the children about those little evil creatures living in the dirt; they will sneak into your body, make you sick and even _kill_ you if you don't fight them off.
"Those creatures will try to steal our food. They don't like to the cold, so put the milk into the fridge or they will make it sour."
Show them some dirt stuff in a microscope: you have educated them about the world and seeing lots of small creatures crawling around makes quite a lesson... >YEACH!<
Kids are not stupid, just underinformed.